Anita Jones

How does one sum up 97 years of a life well lived? Anita Clarice Steele Jones was one of a kind. Elegance personified. Way ahead of her time in style, design, and flair. A funny, feisty, fashionista who was fiercely loyal to family and friends alike, right up until the end.

Anita passed away peacefully in the early morning of March 13, 2025 in Houston, Texas after living with Alzheimer's disease for more than 10 years. Even as her short term memory failed, Anita maintained her dignity, grace, and sense of humor, at one point laughing as she quipped, "My name is still Anita, isn't it?"

Anita flourished as a child under the loving care of her parents, Dr. Charles Bradford Steele, Sr. and Lorelle Courtney Young Steele. Born on September 15, 1927 in Nashville, TN, Anita and her brother, Dr. Charles Bradford Steele, Jr. grew up in the shadow of Fisk University where she became one of the acclaimed Fisk Jubilee Singers, pledged Delta Sigma Theta/Alpha Beta Chapter, and met her future husband, Dr. Clay H. Jones, Jr. of Chicago, IL. After graduation, they married in 1949 and moved to the Windy City where the couple settled on the South Side and raised their two children, Clay H. Jones, III and Linda Lorelle Jones Gregory. Clay, Jr. set up a successful medical practice as a pediatrician and taught medicine at Rush Presbyterian St. Luke's. Anita taught elementary school for a few years, then decided to be a stay-at-home mom after Linda's birth.

No one enjoyed entertaining more than Anita. Her dinner parties were legendary, leading her friends to nickname her "the hostess with the mostest'. From a carefully chosen menu to a perfectly set table with crystal, china, fine linens, and place cards, Anita reveled in making each guest feel special. If TikTok had existed back in the day, she would have easily amassed a million followers eager to learn her creative tricks of the trade. They would also have been taught the art of writing a perfect thank you note. When Anita and Clay's guests thanked them for a memorable evening, it often included how much they enjoyed dancing the night away. The Jones turntable spun the latest hits from Ella Fitzgerald, Nancy Wilson, Sarah Vaughan, Frank Sinatra, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Sammy Davis, Jr., and close family friend, Ramsey Lewis. It wasn't unusual for the couple to keep dancing long after their guests had departed.

The Chicago years were jam-packed: PTA meetings at Linda and Clay III's schools; shepherding Linda across the city to play tennis tournaments; being the perfect Cub Scout mother to Clay; volunteering at the Illinois Children's Home and Aid Society and numerous other charities; attending elegant charity balls, including the Chicago Guardsmen; hosting backyard barbecues featuring her famous ribs, grilled on a pit well-seasoned with hickory chips; picnics at the beach on the banks of Lake Michigan; annual trips to medical conventions; summer vacations to visit her family in Nashville; and trips to Jamaica and Palm Springs at Christmas.

A devoted wife, mother, and grandmother, family was everything to Anita. Yet, while always putting family first, this smart, savvy woman never let go of her own dreams and aspirations. As an empty nester, she went back to school to become an interior designer, opening her design firm, ASJ Interiors. Days spent scouring Chicago's famed Merchandise Mart were among her favorite. Anita relished the opportunity to use her design skills to enhance the homes and offices of her clients, all while being "dressed to the nines", as she would put it. Anita was one of the early members of the Chicago Association of Mannequins and was named to Chicago's Best Dressed list numerous times.

In 1989, Anita and Clay purchased a retirement home in Palm Desert, CA. Sadly, Clay passed away in August of that year. Anita decided to leave the snow and cold behind and moved to Palm Desert permanently where she spent twelve glorious years enjoying life. During that time, she met and fell in love with Harry Thompson, one of the first African American football players in the NFL who helped the Los Angeles Rams win the NFL Championship in 1951. Anita and Harry loved traveling together. She especially enjoyed attending two Super Bowls where she and Harry received the royal treatment.

After Harry passed, Anita moved to Houston in 2004 to be near her daughter, Linda Lorelle, son-in-law, Lou Gregory, and granddaughter, Lindsey Gregory. It didn't take long for Anita to embrace Houston, develop new friendships, and create a full life, including regular visits from her loving grandchildren in Chicago, Leslie Jones Sharp, and Ted Jackson. As Leslie paid tribute to "Ma Neet" during her home-going service, she referenced Proverbs 17:6 ~ Grandchildren are the crown of grandparents. "I can say with full confidence that my brother Ted, my cousin Lindsey, and I always felt the deep love, joy, and pride Ma Neet had for us. We were her crown - and she made sure we knew it."

Anita was a nurturer. Whether tending to her precious garden, her family, or anyone in need of care, she instinctively knew what steps to take to ensure that those under her protective gaze would blossom to their full potential.

Anita was the personification of pure love. She knew how to give it - and how to receive it. Those seeds were firmly planted in her youth at Nashville's Tenth Avenue First Baptist Church and nurtured daily by her loving parents and extended family. She, in turn, passed that on to her family by living her faith each and every day. Kind. Thoughtful. Gracious. Giving.

"When you have given of yourself, you have given the most." Words Anita lived by and often imparted to her children. Anita Clarice Steele Jones gave it her all, and in doing so, left this world a better place.

Anita was laid to rest next to her husband, Clay, at Oak Woods Cemetery in Chicago, IL. She is survived by her son, Clay H. Jones, III (Joan) of Chicago, IL; daughter Linda Lorelle Gregory (Lou) of Houston, TX; grandchildren, Ted Jackson (Staci) of Chicago, IL, Leslie L.Sharp (Jarrod) of Collinsville, IL, and Lindsey Gregory of Austin, TX; brother-in-law, Vernon D. Jones, and numerous loving cousins.

If you would like to honor Anita's legacy of giving, please consider a donation to the Linda Lorelle Scholarship Fund, an education non-profit founded by her daughter and son-in-law.